Are kids going to be sterile or worse for the sake of technology

Sent: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 16:50Subject: Daily Telegraph 8.4.09 - Wifi in school should be stopped, say teachers
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/5125161/Wifi-in-school-should-be-stopped-say-teachers.html
Wifi in school should be stopped, say teachers
The use of wireless internet in schools should be suspended amid claims children may be exposed to health risks, according to teachers.
By Graeme Paton, Education Editor Last Updated: 3:33PM BST 08 Apr 2009
They said schools should "stick to wired computers" until it can be proved networks do not cause cancer or sterility.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers, which represents more than 160,000 staff, called for a major investigation into the biological and thermal effects of wi-fi.
It follows the installation of wireless internet systems in almost three-quarters of secondary schools and half of primaries across the UK.
At the ATL's annual conference in Liverpool, teachers backed calls for curbs on the use of wi-fi until health risks have been properly assessed.
Colin Kinney, a teacher from Cookstown High School, Northern Ireland, said: "Have we the right to avoid the moral warnings simply for access to a few more computers? Are our pupils going to thank us in the years to come if they have become sterile or suffer from cancer, brought on by or exacerbated by the exposure to wi-fi?
"Perhaps they would just be eternally grateful that we enabled them to finish their power point presentation for geography.
"Should we force our pupils to use it without long-term safety studies being carried out? I don't believe we should."
The union backed calls for a Government investigation into the "considerable biological and thermal effects" and for the results to be made public.
Wi-fi works by transmitting information via radio waves from a telephone line to a computer and back.
Becta, the Government's education technology agency, says it does not actively promote use of the technology but insists it can "complement" a school's wired network.
Almost 14,500 schools are believed to have installed the systems. Whole towns have also been contacted, with Norwich already a "wi-fi city".
Current guidance from the Health Protection Agency suggests there is "no consistent evidence of health effects" from wi-fi equipment.
But its chairman, Sir William Stewart, broke ranks two years ago by saying there should be a review of the health effects amid fears they could pose even greater dangers than mobile phone masts
Mr Kinney told the conference: "Let's stick to wired computers and other wired devices for the time being.
"Okay, so teachers may have to wait a little longer for their IT suite to become available but at least we will be safeguarding health.
"Let's ask for an independent investigation taking into consideration the biological as well as thermal effects of wi-fi and for the results to be made public."